Nels Stewart
Canadian | birth_date = | birth_place = Montréal, QC, Canada | draft = | draft_year = | draft_team = | career_start = 1925 | career_end = 1940 | halloffame = 1962 }}Nelson Robert "Old Poison" Stewart (b. December 29, 1902 in Montreal, Quebec - August 21, 1957) was a Canadian professional ice hockey forward who played for the Montreal Maroons, New York Americans and Boston Bruins in the National Hockey League. Playing Career Stewart began play as an amateur at age 18 for the Cleveland Indians of the United States Amateur Hockey Association, leading the league in goals scored in four out of the five seasons he played before he and Babe Siebert were signed by the expansion Montreal Maroons of the NHL in 1925. Nicknamed "Old Poison," and with Siebert and veteran stars Clint Benedict, Punch Broadbent and Reg Noble, he would lead the Maroons to the Stanley Cup championship that season. Stewart himself led the league in goal- and point-scoring that year, and become one of the few rookies in history to win the Hart Memorial Trophy as the NHL's Most Valuable Player. Stewart would later centre the legendary "S Line", with Hooley Smith and Siebert, and star for the Maroons for seven seasons in all, winning a second Hart Trophy in 1930, having led the league once more with 39 goals in 44 games. As the Great Depression deepened, though, the Maroons had increasing financial problems — eventually folding in 1938 — and sold Stewart to the Boston Bruins for cash. His glittering play continued for the Bruins, finishing second in team scoring each of his three full seasons with the team, despite being moved back to defence a fair bit. In 1935 he was traded to the New York Americans, for whom he played for most of his final five seasons in the league. Stewart starred through his penultimate season (in which he was fourth on the Amerks in scoring) with 35 points in 46 games at age 36. The season following, in 1939, his foot speed (never regarded as fast) deserted him entirely. He retired thereafter as the NHL's career leading goal scorer, a mark he set in the 1937 season and held until Maurice Richard broke it in 1952. On August 21, 1957, he was found dead at his summer home near Toronto, apparently of natural causes, possibly a heart attack. Nels was inducted in the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1962. In 1998, he was ranked number 51 on The Hockey News' list of the 100 Greatest Hockey Players. Career Statistics Regular Season Season Team Lge GP G A Pts PIM 1925-26 Montreal Maroons NHL 36 34 8 42 119 1926-27 Montreal Maroons NHL 43 17 4 21 133 1927-28 Montreal Maroons NHL 41 27 7 34 104 1928-29 Montreal Maroons NHL 44 21 8 29 74 1929-30 Montreal Maroons NHL 44 39 16 55 81 1930-31 Montreal Maroons NHL 42 24 14 38 75 1931-32 Montreal Maroons NHL 38 22 11 33 61 1932-33 Boston Bruins NHL 47 18 18 36 62 1933-34 Boston Bruins NHL 48 22 17 39 68 1934-35 Boston Bruins NHL 47 21 18 39 45 1935-36 New York Americans NHL 48 14 15 29 16 1936-37 New York/Boston NHL 43 23 12 35 37 1937-38 New York Americans NHL 49 19 17 36 29 1938-39 New York Americans NHL 46 16 19 35 43 1939-40 New York Americans NHL 35 7 7 14 6 NHL Totals 651 324 191 515 953 Career Achievements * Won the Hart Trophy in 1926 and 1930. * Played in the first NHL All-Star Game in 1934. * 1st player in NHL history to score 300 career goals. * 1st player in NHL history to score 500 career points. * Led the playoffs in scoring in 1926 with six goals, three assists and nine points in eight games. * Led the league in penalty minutes in 1927 with 133. * Holds the NHL record for fastest two goals (four seconds apart) set on January 3, 1931, against the Boston Bruins (matched by Deron Quint in 1995-96) Records Once Held by Nels Stewart * Most goals in NHL history - 324, surpassed by Maurice Richard and currently held by Wayne Gretzky (894). * Most points in NHL history - 515, surpassed by Syd Howe and currently held by Wayne Gretzky (2857). * Most goals by an NHL rookie - 34 in 1925-26, surpassed by Gilbert Perreault (38 in 1970-71) and currently held by Teemu Selanne with 76 in 1992-93. * Fastest player to score 300 goals - 567 GP, surpassed by Maurice Richard (481 GP) and currently held by Wayne Gretzky (350 GP). Gallery 28Jan1934-Bun_Cook-Tiny-Stewart-Shore.jpg|On January 28, 1934, Eddie Shore plays in his first game after the Bailey suspension. The Rangers Bun Cook scores on Tiny Thompson while Nels Stewart watches. 1934_Clinic_Stewart.jpg|Nels Stewart at the 1934 Newton Pond Hockey Clinic. 3Apr1938-NYA_Hawks.jpg|A scrum from the deciding game of the 1938 Semi-finals won by the Blackhawks over the Americans 3-2, April 3, 1938. #6 is Nels Stewart. External Links *Stewart's career statistics at Hockey DB Category:Canadian ice hockey players Category:Montreal Maroons players Category:Boston Bruins players Category:New York Americans players Category:Hockey Hall of Fame Category:Stanley Cup champions Category:Hart Trophy winners Category:Born in 1902 Category:Toronto Beaches alumni Category:Parkdale Canoe Club players Category:Cleveland Indians players